1 dead, 2 hurt in plane crash near Stewart airport

The pilot was killed and two passengers were injured after a single-engine plane crashed Wednesday in the woods near Stewart International Airport.

Authorities say the plane, a Cirrus SR20, was attempting to land at the airport. An FAA spokesman says the plane lost contact with controllers before 2 a.m. when it was attempting a second landing at the airport following a failed first approach.

State police say one of the passengers on the plane called 911 after the crash. Police identified the pilot as 49-year-old Brian Early. The two passengers were Early's son and a family friend. One had two broken legs and the other passenger suffered only minor injuries, police say.

Maybrook Fire District Chief Charles Woznick says the plane landed upside down, but intact. He says conditions were extremely foggy when rescuers approached the crash scene and he thinks that may have contributed to the accident.

Police say the three men were coming from Virginia to Orange County to visit loved ones at West Point.